CVE-2008-5010 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
in.dhcpd in the DHCP implementation in Sun Solaris 8 through 10, and OpenSolaris before snv_103, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (assertion failure and daemon exit) via unknown DHCP requests related to the "number of offers," aka Bug ID 6713805.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5010 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol implementation of Sun Solaris operating systems. This issue affects versions 8 through 10 of Solaris, as well as OpenSolaris prior to the snv_103 release, making it a widespread concern across multiple iterations of the Solaris ecosystem. The vulnerability manifests through the in.dhcpd daemon, which serves as the primary DHCP server component responsible for managing network address allocation and configuration parameters for client devices.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the DHCP request processing mechanism, specifically when handling certain DHCP requests related to the "number of offers" parameter. This parameter controls how many IP address offers a DHCP server can provide during the initial discovery phase of network configuration. When malformed or unexpected DHCP requests are received, the in.dhcpd daemon fails to properly handle these inputs, resulting in an assertion failure that ultimately causes the daemon to terminate abruptly. This assertion failure represents a fundamental breakdown in the software's error handling capabilities, where the system encounters an unexpected condition that violates internal assumptions, leading to an immediate program termination.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it creates a potential attack vector for malicious actors to systematically degrade network services. In enterprise environments where Solaris systems serve as primary DHCP servers, such an attack could result in widespread network outages affecting multiple client devices simultaneously. The daemon's abrupt exit means that network clients would lose access to dynamic IP address assignment, requiring manual intervention to restore network connectivity. This vulnerability particularly impacts environments where network infrastructure relies heavily on automated configuration processes, as the disruption could cascade through dependent services and applications that depend on stable network addressing.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, "Improper Input Validation," which describes the weakness where software does not properly validate inputs, allowing unexpected or malicious data to cause system instability or compromise. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, "Endpoint Denial of Service," which encompasses methods that target endpoint systems to prevent them from functioning properly. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle Solaris patches, configuring network firewalls to restrict DHCP traffic from untrusted sources, and implementing monitoring systems to detect unusual DHCP request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, network segmentation strategies can help limit the impact of such attacks by isolating critical network segments from potentially compromised systems, while regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other network services that may be susceptible to similar input validation failures.